


Aventurine

by c9twizzler



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire | Pokemon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire Versions
Genre: F/M, Slow Burn, no beta we die like men, possibly some graphic/disturbing imagery, sort of underage but as in they meet each other but nothing happens until everyone is an adult??
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-21
Updated: 2020-01-23
Packaged: 2021-02-26 19:33:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21514003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/c9twizzler/pseuds/c9twizzler
Summary: After a pokemon attacked May and left her blind in one eye, her parents hid her away from the world in a misguided attempt to protect her. However, when May runs away from home to become a pokemon trainer, she finds herself crossing paths with an organization that seeks to scorch the earth and set the skies aflame - and it's up to her to stop them. (Hoennchampionshipping)
Relationships: Haruka | May/Tsuwabuki Daigo | Steven Stone
Comments: 2
Kudos: 31





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> a/n: this is completely unedited and probably terrible im so sorry. it's loosely based off of the game and manga, but I'm going to be taking a lot of liberties with how the plot goes and all. 
> 
> if my capitalization of pokemon names seems inconsistent, it's because I don't capitalize if I'm referring to just the species in general, but I do if I'm using the species name as the pokemon's name.
> 
> warnings: very very occasional cursing, mild violence, sort of dysfunctional family relationships. maybe more later, but not right now.
> 
> thanks for reading!

Chapter 1: Moss Agate

Known as the crystal of agriculture and growth, moss agate symbolizes both wealth and new beginnings.

* * *

May's parents took her to visit the MooMoo Farm near the end of spring for her seventh birthday. The vibrant flowers that speckled the grassy hills were just beginning to bloom, multicolored petals opening their faces to the powder blue sky, and it only seemed natural to venture off the beaten path for a picnic. May was a lively, curious child, easily distracted and prone to wandering off when her parents weren't looking, so her parents weren't particularly surprised when she slipped away halfway through lunch. Worried, yes, but they knew that she would find her way back to them. She had an outstanding sense of direction, most likely inherited from her father, and although she wandered often, she was never lost. They searched for her halfheartedly, but they knew that she would return eventually, most likely bored once again and in search of new adventures to have.

As usual, they were proven correct. They found her half an hour later, sprawled out on the ground with her back pressed up against a tree trunk. She was trembling, her eyes wide and terrified. A hulking persian loomed over her, with wild, unhinged eyes and bloody gouges scored across its back. Her parents watched in horror, petrified, as its claws sliced through the left side of her face, parting flesh as smoothly as a knife through butter. May screamed, and screamed, and screamed, even after the persian was dead and broken, collapsed in the grass underneath Mr. Maple's furret, and after the ambulance came and took her away.

After hours and hours of nervous, silent waiting, her mother and father were faced with sympathetic eyes and regretful frowns, gentle words and "she's lost vision in her right eye" and "the wounds are too heal completely, so she'll have scars from this for the rest of her life." They were filled with guilt and regret and the knowledge that it was all their fault. Their daughter could be whole, happy, but her smile was gone now, and it was all their fault.

They never let her out of their sight again.

* * *

"...so we're going to be moving to Hoenn, for your father's new job," Caroline finished, her eyes concerned. May just glanced at her mom blankly, her face void of emotion. After a brief moment of eye contact, her eyes darted away nervously, gazing at her intertwined fingers resting in her lap. A long silence passed before she finally looked up again.

"Okay," she murmured, her voice soft. Caroline's eyebrows furrowed, and she sighed, uncertain.

"Are you sure you don't mind? I know you're," she paused for a moment, searching for the least offensive word, "apathetic to most things, but this is a big change. Hoenn's a whole new region, and it's nothing like Johto." Something flickered in May's eyes, and her fingers dug into her palms slightly.

"It's not like I'm going see anything besides the inside of our new house," she retorted bitterly.

"May, honey, you know it's for your own good. With your condition, it's better to stay inside. It's a dangerous world out there, sweetie. You understand, right?" They'd been through this argument over and over again, every single day, and May knew it all by heart. It was the same answer every time, and she was sick of hearing it.

"I'm going to my room," she muttered. Caroline sighed.

"Don't forget to pack!" she called. Her only answer was a loud bang as May slammed her bedroom door.

The moving truck only had two seats, so May had to ride in the back with the boxes. It took her fifteen incredibly frustrating minutes to convince Caroline that no, she didn't care and that the probability of the boxes falling and severely injuring her was basically nonexistent. The ride was long and bumpy, and she spent it aimlessly playing video games, glaring at the faintly glowing screen as if it had committed a personal wrong against her. By the time the truck shuddered to a halt, her DS had died and she had dozed off, her cheek resting against one of the cardboard boxes.

She woke up to Caroline's muffled voice, and winced as the back of the truck opened and bright light burned away the darkness, raising her hand to block the sunshine. "Are you okay, May?" Caroline asked, overbearing as always. "None of the boxes fell or anything, right?" May just rolled her eyes and hopped out of the truck, stumbling slightly when her feet hit the ground. Caroline reached out to steady her, but May shoved her arm away, the corners of her mouth turned down in a faint frown.

"I don't need help getting out of the car, mom," she said coldly, shoving her DS into her backpack. Most of the boxes unloading and unpacked quickly with the help of the machokes the moving company sent over, and by the time the sun is high in the sky, Norman was on his way to Petalburg City and Caroline was ushering May up the stairs to her new room.

"Don't forget to set your clock, okay? I'll be downstairs if you need me."

"Believe me, I won't," May muttered as she closed the door, surveying the room. The walls were the same shade of sky blue as her old room, with cream colored curtains and rosewood furniture. Her bed was next to the huge window that overlooked most of the town, complete with the coral eevee patterned sheets she had made an offhanded remark about wanting. She would have been touched, really, but she knew that it was just another one of Norman's attempts to buy her affection back (and lessen the guilt he felt for caging her in the house like a pidgey with clipped wings).

May dropped her bag on the ground and flopped down on the bed with a sigh, staring at the white ceiling blankly. She wondered who her parents would be getting to homeschool her now that they were in a whole different reason. They were in no hurry, probably, since she didn't need tutoring in the middle of summer. She stayed there, prone, watching the sky slowly turn golden, then pink, then crimson.

After dinner (which was as silent as usual, especially with Norman's absence), May wandered into her bathroom and unpacked her toiletries. There was a large mirror on the wall above the sink, and when she looked up, she could see her reflection staring back at her, three deep scars on the left side of her face running from her eyebrow to her cheek bone, cutting past a milky white eye. She scowled, her eyes determined, and began the process of removing the mirror from the wall, leaving behind an expanse of white only marred by two nails, parallel to each other. She shoved the mirror in the back of her closet, pointedly ignoring the mirror on her closet door.

The way her parents' eyes were always drawn the her scars before they saw anything else was enough of a reminder of her disfigurement. She didn't need to look at it every morning and evening and whenever she washed her hands and be reminded of the reason why her parents never let her out of the house, even at the age of sixteen.

Sometimes she wondered what her parents do when she turned eighteen and became a legal adult. Would they still try to hide her from the world? May shuddered, her eyes darkening. _Sometimes,_ she mused, _It's just better to not think about it._ She just wanted to hope that someday, she'd be able to escape her cage and fly free.

* * *

When May woke the next morning, she felt a brief flash of panic until she remembered where she was. Years of always waking up in the same place had left her complacent, but the change was oddly welcome. The sun had already risen, lavender tinted sunlight shining through her window and pooling on the glossy wooden floor. May sat up, covering her mouth with one hand and yawning widely. After changing into more presentable clothes and halfheartedly brushing her hair, May trudged downstairs for breakfast, biting back another yawn.

When she swung the door open, she was surprised to see Caroline talking to a man in a white labcoat and a teenage boy with a strange white hat that looked to be somewhere around her age. When Caroline noticed her, she smiled and beckoned her over. "May, this is Professor Birch and his son, Brendan. They live near the Littleroot Pokemon Lab." May stared at them blankly, her eyebrows knitted together.

"Um," she said, eloquently. Years of never talking to anyone besides her tutor and her parents hadn't exactly done wonders for her social skills. "Hello?" Luckily, the professor didn't seem to mind.

"Nice to meet you, May," he exclaims brightly. "Your mother has told me all about you!" He extended his hand, and May stared at it for a moment before she realized that she was supposed to shake it. She did so, awkwardly, and dropped it immediately after, as if it were a hot coal. Brendan snorted, and his father sent him an admonishing look. "Introduce yourself," he muttered, elbowing him.

"Sup," Brendan drawled, raising a hand in greeting. "Brendan here." May shrugged, avoiding eye contact as usual.

"...Nice to meet you," she mumbled, her gaze focused at her feet. "Um, I need to finish unpacking, so…" she trails off, eager to escape socialization. Caroline blinked, perplexed.

"But you just came down, honey. Don't you want breakfast?"

"Maybe later," she faltered, already backing away towards the stairs. "I'll, uh, come down later, okay?"

Other than that painful experience, May settled down relatively well. Two weeks of her sitting around inside and sort of just existing passed by until her mom mentioned that she was going to visit Norman in Petalburg for a few days. "You'll be okay, right? You won't go outside or anything?" she kept on asking, her expression as annoyingly worried as it always was. May resisted the urge to groan, crossing her arms impatiently.

"I'm not gonna die if you leave me alone for two days. I'm sixteen, mom. I can take of myself." She still looked concerned, but May ignored her pointedly. "I'll stay inside, okay? I promise." She was actually lying through her teeth, but Caroline didn't need to know that.

Caroline finally left on Saturday morning, and May felt a wave of excitement surge through her. Her parents had never left her alone before - when one of them was out of the house, the other one was always there. Once she saw Caroline's car disappear into the horizon she raced up to her room and changed out of her sleepwear, pulling on a pair of ripped denim shorts and black crew socks. She pulled on a pair of boots with a surprisingly large amount of difficulty (since she never really had any need to wear shoes) and laced them up with eager hands, her feet hitting the ground the moment she finished and carrying her downstairs again. She pulled her hair up in a messy ponytail as she exited the house, slinging her backpack over her shoulder.

The summer sun beat down on her, enveloping her in a scorching embrace. She felt her mouth curling up into a wide smile that felt almost uncomfortable on her face, but she didn't care because she was outside and she could do whatever she wanted for two days. She spun in a circle, wrapping her arms around herself. She probably looked like a complete idiot, but practically nobody lived in Littleroot Town, so it wasn't like there was anybody watching to judge her.

She spent a couple of hours just exploring the town, wandering through every little street and side street. It was about mid afternoon when, as she passed by the exit to the town, and little boy ran up to her and grabbed her arm. She flinched at the physical contact and jerked her arm away, but he didn't seem to mind. "Miss!" he yelled. "I can hear someone yelling! It sounds like it's coming from Route 101. I'd go to help, but my mom told me to stay here… Could you go see if somebody needs help?"

 _This is just like the quests in the video games I play,_ May thought, resisting the urge to grin. _Probably not the best thing to do while someone is screaming for help,_ she realized. "Sure," she replied, her voice quiet as always despite her rising anticipation. "I'll go take a look." She jogged off in the direction of the faint yelling she can here in the distance. By the time she reached the source of the noise, she was disappointingly out of breath. _I guess sitting around all day doesn't really do wonders for my physical fitness._

To her confusion, Professor Birch was hanging from a tree branch, his legs bent up protectively. A poochyena was sitting below him, growling at him. May couldn't help but feel a little amused at first, because the poochyena was actually rather cute, but looking at it's gleaming teeth and curved claws brought back hazy memories of claws slicing through her skin and warm liquid trickling down her cheeks, mixing with salty tears.

She shivered, goosebumps erupting all over her arms. Professor Birch glanced at her and his eyes widened in relief. "May! There are some pokeballs in my bag. Use one of the pokemon to scare these poochyena off!" May blinked, surprised. Dreams of becoming a pokemon trainer, almost forgotten, raced to the forefront of her mind, and she immediately bent down, grabbing the first pokeball she saw and tossing it into the air.

A green, lizard-like pokemon materialized in a burst of white light. It looked at her curiously, tilting it's head to the side. May took a deep breath, the countless books she read on pokemon training resurfacing in her memory. The pokemon was called treecko, from what she remembered, and it was a grass type native to Hoenn. The guide for beginning trainers had mentioned that most low levelled pokemon knew either pound, tackle, or scratch, so she hazarded a guess as to which one Treecko knew, hoping fervently that she got it right.

"Treecko! Use pound on the poochyena," she ordered, sounding more confident than she felt. The treecko nodded and raced forward, hitting the poochyena and knocking it back slightly. It growled, turning its attention to the treecko and May. It started running towards Treecko in what May recognized as a tackle attack. "Dodge it, and use Poochyena's momentum to knock it into the tree with another pound attack!" she called, thinking on her feet. Treecko leapt to the side as the poochyena ran towards it and slammed it into the tree. It swayed on its paws, unsteady, and glared at Treecko. One more pound attack knocked it to the ground, and it turned tail and fled, searching for easier prey.

May heard a quiet thud as Professor Birch dropped to the ground, dusting himself off. She returned the treecko, placing the pokeball back in the bag and handing it to him. "You know, that was quite an impressive battle for someone who's never trained a pokemon before." May smiled, hooking her thumbs around her belt loops.

"I've always wanted to be a trainer, so I've done a fair amount of research." Professor Birch raised an eyebrow at that.

"That's strange," he commented. "Your mother made it sound like you don't even like pokemon." May grimaced.

"My mom doesn't really get what I want," she complained. Professor Birch chuckled, reorganizing the pokeballs and papers.

"I still don't understand my son, and I've been living with him for his entire life." He shouldered his bag, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "Well, I need to be getting back to the lab. If you have the time, you should drop by today. I owe you something as thanks for saving my hide back there." He headed back into town, leaving May standing there, dazed.

 _Did that just really happen?_ she wondered. _I just had my first pokemon battle, well, ever._

When May knocked on the door of the lab, a researcher in a lab coat opened it. "You must be May," she guessed, smiling. "The professor has been waiting for you. He's over there - see?" She pointed at the back of the room, where the professor was talking to a lab aide. May walked over nervously, wondering what would happen next. When Professor Birch noticed her, he smiled widely and waved away the lab aide.

"May! I was hoping you would drop by." He reached for something behind him, glancing at the messy desk. "Now where is it…" He grabbed something and turned around, holding it out to her. May stared at it in confusion, her brow furrowed. He was holding out a pokeball with an expectant expression on his face. "It's the treecko you battled with earlier. He was supposed to live at the lab with me, but I think you'd appreciate him a lot more. Consider it a token of my gratitude." May's eyes widened.

"Seriously?" she asked. When he nodded, she grabbed the pokeball excitedly and released Treecko, beaming at him.

"Do you want to give him a name?" the Professor asked. May's smile widened more than she had originally thought possible.

"Of course," she said. She bent down to look Treecko, looking him in the eye. "I'm going to be your trainer now. Do you want a name?" she asked, thoughtful. When Treecko nodded again, her eyes lit up. "What about Osiris?" The treecko nodded again, his eyes gleaming. May grinned and stood up, returning him. "Thank you so much!" she exclaimed, her eyes bright. Professor Birch waved a hand dismissively.

"No problem. I think he's better off with you, anyways."

It was only a few hours later when it finally sunk in. "I have a pokemon," May murmured. "Finally."

_Mom is going to be so, so pissed._


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> woohoo typed this up instead of doing my stats hw!

Chapter 2: Tiger Iron

A blend of Hematite, Red Jasper, and Tiger Eye, Tiger Iron signifies manifestation of dreams and ideas, bringing change into one's life.

* * *

 _No, she'd be beyond pissed._ May didn't even want to imagine the tidal wave of parental disappointment and concerned fury her mother would surely wreak upon her. The fight they'd had after Caroline had caught May hanging out at the convenience store down the street in Olivine City was nothing short of explosive; they didn't speak to each other for days in the fallout. May frowned, tossing Osiris's pokeball from hand to hand lazily. The pokemon himself was stretched out on her bed in the patch of sunbeams shining through her window, busy gorging himself on the stash of pokemon food May had found in one of her dad's (still unpacked) moving boxes. She glanced over at him, chin resting in the palm of her hand and brow furrowed; she couldn't help but envy his display of complete relaxation.

Hiding him wasn't an option, either, as there was no way the Professor wouldn't blab to her parents the moment they got back. "Two days, huh?" she murmured. "Two days to sort this out." She ran a hand through her hair, glancing out the window.

The sun was starting to dip below the horizon, painting the clouds goldenrod-orange and casting long shadows from the leafy trees that dotted Littleroot. With taillow gliding lazily through the golden sky and the lush, verdant Hoenn flora stretching out as far as the eye could see, it was a breathtaking view compared to the dull skies and cold, crashing waves of Olivine.

Unfortunately, the scenery didn't do much to distract May from the pressing issue at hand. With a growl of annoyance, she flopped bonelessly onto her bed next to Osiris, jostling the treecko from his sleepy daze. Noticing May's distress, he made an inquisitive noise and nudged her elbow with his head gently. "Sorry, little guy," she said, giving him a rueful grin. "I just met you, but I don't think I'm going to get to be your trainer for much longer."

Osiris tilted his head to the side, his flat, reptilian gaze locked onto her face. "It's my parents," May elaborated. "I don't… I don't think they'll let me keep you. They don't even let me go outside on my own most of the time." Her nails dug into her palms, hard enough to sting. "They treat me like- like I'm some kind of incompetent child! There are toddlers with more freedom than me! I'm just so sick of it - of watching all of my friends leave me behind to travel and explore the world while I'm stuck inside, watching my entire life pass by through a window."

Osiris blinked slowly, deliberately, and picked up a book from her desk, dropping it onto her lap. May glanced at it, eyebrows raised. _The Trainer's Ultimate Guide to Taking on the Hoenn League, Version 7.5._

May sighed. "I guess you want to battle and get stronger, huh? I don't blame you. I wish I could. I should take you back to Professor Birch; he could find you a trainer who can take you on a real journey." Osiris squawked at this, whacking her chin with his tail and leaping off the bed; May squeaked indignantly and chucked her pillow at him, narrowly missing the lizard's head.

"What was that for? Hey, what are you doing?" May leaned over her bed to see Osiris dragging her old backpack out from under the bed, meandering over to the door. She leapt up from her bed and grabbed it back, picking up the unruly lizard with her other hand and tucking him under her arm, holding him tight as he squirmed. "If you want me to take you back to the Professor, I can, but that doesn't mean you get to steal my stuff," she chided. Osiris squeaked, shaking his head vehemently and curling his tail around her arm.

"I told you already, I can't take you on a journey - not for another two years, at least," she said, glancing at the calendar. _Just over a day until Mom gets back home._ She frowned. _One more day, and this ends._

_But what's keeping me here? What's stopping me from leaving?_

May dropped Osiris on the bed abruptly, glancing around her room frantically. _A day and a half… I could be in Petalburg by then._ "Change of plans, Osiris," she said, pulling her stash of scavenged pokeballs and potions out from under her bed and stuffing them into her bag. "Looks like we might get to go on a journey after all." The treecko looked at her imperiously, as if it had been his plan all along. May giggled, zipping up her bag. _Well, I guess it was._

* * *

Sneaking out of Littleroot in the dark was more difficult than May had expected; years of sedentary, indoor living meant she was out of breath after a mere 30 minutes of walking. She'd already picked up her fair share of bruises and scratches from tripping over fallen branches and rocks. Despite this, however, the giddy excitement that had filled her in her room seemed unwilling to leave her; each step forward was another step closer to her dream. She'd stuffed her book into her bag, after scanning the pages one last time. Rustboro was her first destination - it was the closest gym other than Petalburg, and there was absolutely no way she was going to be in breathing distance of her dad until she could beat him in a full-on battle.

"Come on, Osiris, we're almost at Petalburg Forest," May said, scanning the cracked screen of her beat-up pokegear with squinted eyes. She'd elected to circle around the entire city of Petalburg: it wasn't worth risking an encounter with her parents, and she barely had any cash to spend at a pokemart. She'd managed to get through the routes leading to the forest by sneaking past most of the wild pokemon, and letting Osiris pound some of the weaker wurmples into the ground.

The speedy journey had taken its toll on both of them, however; May could feel her eyelids getting heavy with fatigue, and Osiris's attacks had less and less strength as time went on. "If we just get inside the forest, we can camp out for the night without getting caught by anyone - it's far away enough from the gym that my dad wouldn't have any reason to go out there."

Osiris shrugged, eyes scanning the undergrowth around them for pokemon. May had always loved pokemon battling - since she'd spent most of her life in her room, there had been little else to do besides watching League matches and seeing the greatest trainers in the world face off against each other. But Osiris took it to another level - each successful battle ended with his chest puffed out a little more, a smug look on his face with each victory added to his belt. May giggled a little. "If you stand up any straighter, you're just going to fall over backwards," she teased.

Osiris shot her a baleful glare at that, which she returned by sticking her tongue out at him. His head jerked to the side, however, and she blinked, peering out into the darkness. Without any warning, a dark figure darted out from the grass and slammed into Osiris's side, letting out a guttural, if a little high pitched, growl. May started in surprise, her hands shaking. "Osiris!" she shouted, starting to dash to her downed pokemon. The treecko made a noise of annoyance and stood upright again, eyes darting across the path, waiting for the next attack. May took a deep, calming breath, and let her shoulders settle.

"Wait for it to attack again, Osiris, and dodge and hit it with pound," she called out. Osiris nodded, and crouched down, ready to leap at any moment. The figure came back for a second attack, and this time Osiris was able to dodge narrowly, and knock it to the ground. "Quick attack while it's down!" May shouted. Osiris darted forward, kicking up a plume of dust as he collided with the other pokemon, trotting back to May when it stopped moving.

May fumbled for her belt, finally managing to grab a pokeball and toss at it the pokemon. The throw went wild, bouncing into a tree a meter away from the unconscious pokemon. Osiris snorted, and she scowled at him, cursing her lack of hand eye coordination. "It's not as easy as it looks in the vids, you prat," she muttered, but begrudgingly jogged up and tapped the pokemon with another pokeball. It was sucked into the ball in a flash of red light, and she crouched down and waited with bated breath as it shook once - twice - three times - and finally clicked shut.

She snatched it up from the ground exuberantly and grabbed Osiris, giving him a bear hug that he squawked indignantly at. "I caught a pokemon for the first time," she breathed, grinning giddily. "Me! I can't believe it." She threw the ball out, releasing her new pokemon for the first time. In the pale moonlight, she could make out its features a little more clearly - sleek, dark fur, a canine snout, gleaming red eyes.

"Hey," she said to the poochyena. "I'm May. It's nice to meet you." The dog glanced at her dismissively, and then stared away from her, her lips curled back to reveal a set of gleaming fangs. "I'm going to take on the gym challenge," she said, grinning as the poochyena glanced at her in poorly disguised interest. "If you want to tag along, we can get stronger together - I'm not giving up until I'm the best." The poochyena tucked her paws underneath herself, still refusing to look at her, but her tail wagged decisively.

"I promise we'll be great friends in no time! Do you want a name?" The poochyena inclined her head slowly, and May laced her fingers together pensively. "How does Morrigan sound?" The pokemon barked once, and May grinned. "Welcome to the team, Morrigan!" she said, reaching out to pat the poochyena on the head and narrowly yanking her hand back to avoid being bit.

"Okay, okay, no touching," she said ruefully, eyeing Morrigan warily as the dog stared back at her, equally cautious - but with a hint of hope.


	3. Chapter Three: Obsidian

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the petalburg encounter is so absurd I honestly was at a loss of how to make it sound not weird lmao. this is a shameful entry from me I swear the next one will be better.

Chapter 3: Obsidian

Formed from volcanic glass, Obsidian symbolizes the deepening of understanding between individuals.

* * *

May woke up to a cramp in her neck and the sun in her face. Sleeping on the ground wasn’t quite comfortable, but she hadn’t thought ahead enough to pack camping gear, and the balmy Hoenn weather kept her warm enough. She sighed, sitting up reluctantly and corralling her rats-nest hair into something more manageable, pulling her bangs to the side to hide her scars. The entrance to Petalburg Woods was visible from where she had camped out (decently far off the main path, to quell the anxiety she felt at the mere thought of being discovered by anyone who knew her father), and it looked far more welcoming in the mid-morning sunshine. “C’mon, sleepyhead,” she said, poking Osiris awake. “Rustboro City awaits!” 

The treecko whined and rolled over, seemingly attempting to meld with the ground, and May rolled her eyes, recalling him to his pokeball. “Well, I’ll walk, and you can let yourself out whenever you decide to wake up,” she grumbled, standing up and dusting off her clothes. She probably looked like a complete mess, with wrinkled, worn clothes, and the odd twig stuck in her hair, but her shoddy packing had left her with a lack of ways to clean up.  _ Well, it’s not like it matters if anyone sees me like this _ , she thought, shouldering her pack and making her way back down the main path.

* * *

Compared to the outskirts of Petalburg City, the forest was practically teeming with wildlife; bug pokemon seemed to cling to almost every tree and shrub. May shuddered a little every time she spotted one; though they were generally weak enough to drop to one of Morrigan’s tackles if they got too aggressive, their skittering, spindly limbs and grub-like bodies made her skin crawl. That was the one upside to spending life indoors: if she never had to look at a wurmple again, she’d feel nothing other than complete and utter gratitude.

Pokemon weren’t the only things in the forest - After hours of getting increasingly lost in the woods, she spotted another trainer, a gangly teen brandishing an oversized bug net. There had been trainers on the road from Petalburg, of course, but their proximity to her parents made May sneak past them with the fervor of a startled skitty. 

“Hey, want to battle?” the teen called out when he spotted her. May jumped in surprise - she hadn’t thought he’d noticed her. “I want to train my team up a bit before I head home.”

“Uh, sure?” she said haltingly. Her battling experience so far had only been beating on uncoordinated wild pokemon, not fighting experienced trainers. Sure, she had read (and re-read) every manual on battling she could get her hands on with a laser focus, but that didn’t tell her how it would translate to a real battle. Still - a rush of excitement flooded her - her first battle, as a real pokemon trainer! “I mean, yeah! I’d love to!” she exclaimed, fumbling for her pokeballs. 

“Two on two, standard rules?” he asked, glancing at her belt. “I’m James, by the way.” 

May grabbed Morrigan’s pokeball and released her in a flash of light. “Sounds fine - I’m May.” Morrigan glanced around warily, baring her fangs at James. 

“Come on out, Nincada!” James shouted, sending out a white, scuttling bug. May winced - no matter how many times she saw them, bugs were just  _ gross _ . “Use scratch!” 

Morrigan snarled and charged at the bug, kicking up a cloud of dust behind her. “Wait-” May protested, wringing her hands, “dodge and use sand attack!” Morrigan glanced back and growled, still running forward. The nincada dodged past her full-frontal assault and swiped its pincers down her side, drawing out a furious howl from the poochyena. May flushed.  _ Figures that my pokemon would decide to ignore me in my first real battle,  _ she thought resentfully.

“Nincada’s too fast for you to hit head on - we need to distract it somehow,” May said. “Just hit it with a sand attack!” Morrigan ignored her, barreling towards the nincada again and getting scratched again for her efforts.

“Keep it up, Nincada, you’re doing great!” James yelled. Nincada chirped and dodged another wayward tackle, wearing down at Morrigan’s health and enraging the pokemon further. In a lucky strike, Morrigan managed to clamp her jaws on the nincada’s side, whipping her head back and forth as the bug squeaked in protest.

“Don’t worry Nincada - use absorb while it’s clinging on you!” A green glow surrounded the interlocked pokemon, the scrapes on Nincada’s side fading away as Morrigan’s flailing slowed down and eventually stopped. May sighed.

“Come back, Morrigan,” she said, resigned, returning the poochyena. “Osiris, you’re up! Hit it with your own absorb!”  _ Nincada’s part ground type, _ she remembered,  _ so it cancels out the resistance to grass type moves _ . Osiris’s type-boosted move left the Nincada sluggish and fatigued, and May grinned. “Finish it off with quick attack!” The attack knocked out Nincada, leaving it prone on the ground. 

James returned Nincada with a smile. “Wurmple, you’re up!” May sighed in relief - she’d spent the past day battling wurmples in the dozens, so she knew Osiris could handle it. A few well placed quick attacks, and Wurmple was out for the count.

“I’m guessing you’re a new trainer?” James asked, reattaching his pokeballs to his belt with a wry grin. May blushed.

“Yeah, I guess it was pretty obvious,” she admitted, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear self-consciously. “I’m not very good at this yet…” 

“Hey, we all have to start somewhere,” James said reassuringly. “Your treecko was pretty strong, too. I just noticed because of your poochyena - my nincada did the same thing to me at first.” 

May perked up. “Really?”

“Yeah, wouldn’t listen to a single word I said. Just charged in headfirst, no matter who he was fighting.”

“So how’d you fix it?” May asked.

“It just takes time,” James said. “She needs time to get used to working with a trainer instead of on her own. If you can build up mutual respect, then she’ll be more willing to listen to what you say. I mean, it won’t always work - sometimes pokemon and trainers just don’t click. But it’s worth a try, at least.”

May glanced at Morrigan’s pokeball, frowning. Befriending the hotheaded, standoffish poochyena didn’t seem like an easy task - but Morrigan was still the first pokemon she’d caught herself. None of the trainers she’d grown up idolizing would have given up at the first sight of adversity. “Thanks. I will,” she said. “Try, I mean. I appreciate the advice.” James grinned, giving her a double thumbs up.

“No problem! Thanks for the battle - I’m gonna go look for other trainers to fight.” May nodded back at him, glancing apprehensively at the trees around her.

“Uh, before you go, would you happen to know how to get out of here?” James laughed, pointing over her shoulder.

“I’m guessing you’re heading to Rustboro? It’s a straight shot that way - you’re almost at the exit.” May thanked him profusely, picking her way through the woods with renewed vigor. 

The trees were just beginning to thin out when she walked straight into another person, a lanky man in a spotless lab coat.

“Oh, sorry-” she started, only to be cut off immediately.

“Have you seen a pokemon called shroomish around here?” the man asked, his eyes wide. “I’ve been searching everywhere, but I can’t seem to find it.” May blinked in consternation.

“No, I haven’t, sorry,” she said. “But I could-” she jumped in surprise as a strangely dressed man pushed his way out of a tangle of bushes and grabbed the guy’s shoulder, spinning him around roughly.

“Hand the goods over and no one has to get hurt, man,” the stranger said. He was dressed particularly oddly, in a strange red getup complete with a hood with -  _ were those devil horns? _ May wondered, confused beyond belief. Lab coat guy squeaked, jerking away from the man and ducking behind May.

“You- you’re a trainer, aren’t you? Protect me from him,” he said, his voice tremulous and quivering. May raised an eyebrow, but dutifully reached for Osiris’s pokeball. The hooded man scowled, sending out a very angry poochyena. 

After hours spent beating on pokemon in Petalburg Woods, Osiris was able to make quick work of the poochyena, leaving the hooded man scowling. He glanced between Osiris and lab coat guy a couple of times, brow furrowed, before reaching up to his ear.

“What- right now? I’m in the middle of something- okay, okay, I’m on my way,” he growled, casting another malevolent glance at May. “Jesus, fucking kids…” He trailed off, glancing up, and rolled his eyes. “I get it, I’ll be there in a second.” He about-faced and ran off before May could even finish processing the past ten minutes, leaving her with the twitchy researcher.

“Oh, thank you so much,” he said, grabbing her hands with his own sweaty palms. “How could I ever thank you- oh, I know! You can have these. They’re a new prototype from Devon - pokeballs, but they have a much higher success rate!” He pressed a set of blue pokeballs into her hands, practically fluttering in joy.

* * *

After Petalburg Woods, the rest of the journey to Rustboro seemed almost dull in comparison. Battling trainers along the way gave May and Osiris some much needed experience, but she was in Rustboro by sundown. She beelined straight for the Pokemon Center, desperate for a shower and an actual mattress. Curled up in a bunk bed in the corner of the rest area, May frowned. “I guess there’s no better time than now,” she murmured, grabbing Morrigan’s pokeball and tapping the button. She hadn’t sent out the poochyena since her ill-fated battle in Petalburg Woods, and Morrigan hadn’t deigned to grace her with her presence since.

Baleful red eyes met sapphire blue in a silent contest of wills; it lasted all of seven seconds until May sighed, wrapping her arms around her knees. “Look,” May said hesitantly, “when I asked you if you wanted to team up with me when I caught you, you agreed. I know you want to get stronger, but if we can’t get along we’re going nowhere.” 

Morrigan shot her with an indifferent look, pawing at the blankets. “Yeah, I get it,” May said. “You don’t really trust me and you don’t want me to tell you what to do. Believe me, I understand how you feel. But we’ll be so much better if we work together - when you’re in the thick of battle, I have a birds eye view. I’m not stupid - you know that my strategy would have given you a chance to beat that nincada.” Morrigan huffed indignantly. “I’m not asking you to follow my every command. I wouldn’t want that, anyways. But we need to try working together - just try listening to me in battle, and if you still think it’s not working, then I promise I will take you back to where I found you and you can go off on your own again.”

Morrigan tilted her head, considering, and then nodded slowly, if not a bit reluctantly. May beamed back at her, feeling a weight lift off her shoulders. “I promise I won’t let you down,” she said. “I’ll do everything I can to become a trainer you can respect.”


	4. Chapter 4: Citrine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pounding out chapters like never before. maybe someday I will even reach a regular update schedule (if anyone is even reading this LOL).

Chapter 4: Citrine

* * *

Rustboro Gym was May’s next step, but now that she was an entire city away from Petalburg, she found her new freedom almost overwhelming. The endless walking she’d been doing for the past few days had left her underused muscles aching, and the soft pokecenter bed was too comfortable to pass up. She spent her first day in the city cooped up in her room, the crowds of people bustling around in the bright Hoenn sun too loud and vibrant for her tastes. It gave her a much needed moment to rest and plan out her path forwards, and start planning out a strategy for taking on her first gym. Now that they’d reached a truce, Morrigan was much more willing to listen to her, and with the help of Osiris, they’d hashed out the foundation of a plan for beating Roxanne - though May knew that she’d need to spend some time training up before she tried. She’d also taken the time to teach Osiris bullet seed from a ™ she’d found on the way to the city, which she knew would be useful in the upcoming battle.

As the next day dawned, however, May felt much calmer. After her daring, half-baked escape and rush to dodge the reach of her parents, reaching the city safely had left her with a much-needed feeling of stability and security. Her first order of business was to find a way to disguise herself: her facial disfigurement unfortunately made her very easily recognizable, and she knew that her father would ask his fellow gym leaders to watch for her (he probably already had, knowing how neurotic the guy could be), so she set out early with her meager life savings in hand. 

The salon near the pokemon center was her first stop - because the scarring was entirely concentrated on one side of her face, she resigned herself to a haircut that reminded her a little too much of the teenage rock bands she’d been obsessed with as a kid, tying a red bandanna onto her head to flatten out her new bangs for good measure. Even that couldn’t dampen her enthusiasm, though, and she wandered through the city with wide eyes, Osiris perched on her shoulder as usual.

The bronze-hued stone that lined the city streets and buildings seemed to absorb the sunlight and permeate the city with a gentle warmth - it was a bit hotter than comfortable, but May was becoming increasingly fond of the Hoenn heat. She stretched her arms upwards, cracking her back with a satisfied sigh and glanced around her. Her errands had taken up most of the morning, and the sun was already high in the sky when she was finished stocking up on potions and pokeballs. “You hungry?” she said, glancing at Osiris. When he nodded in assent, she jerked her head towards the cafe nearby. “Let’s get something to eat before we head out to train, then,” she said. 

She’d never ordered food for herself, but it seemed like a pretty simple process. It was surprising, almost, how much of a difference hiding her scars made; she’d resigned herself long ago to the way people’s eyes seemed to be drawn to her blind eye, and the way their gazes turned pitying and condescending. With them hidden, she felt almost invisible - nothing about her stood out anymore than the next person. In short order, she and Osiris were tucked away into a wooden booth in the corner of the cafe with a tray heaping with food resting on the table. She let Morrigan out once they were settling in, smiling as the poochyena perked up immediately at the sight of food. She’d taken time to read up on the canine species the day before, and it was clear that it had been a good idea: the heaping plate of steak seemed to be doing a better job of endearing the dog to her more than anything else she had tried. 

“So, the nurse at the pokemon center said that there’s a route east of the city that a lot of trainers hang out at before they take on the first gym,” she said around a mouthful of eggs. “I thought we could head out after this and sort of gauge where we’re at, if that’s fine with you guys.” Morrigan yipped, excited at the thought of battling. “Roxanne’s a rock type specialist, and I’ve been reading up on her team, so I have a pretty good idea of what we want to work on: Osiris has the type advantage, so I’m going to rely on him to deal with her strongest pokemon.” Morrigan scowled, but didn’t protest. “But I want to lead with you - I know you can take out the rest of her team. I think we should work on speed and attrition. Rock types hit hard, but you’re fast and if you can reliably dodge everything, you can wear them down.”

When they finished eating, May dropped the empty plates off at the counter, and made her way out of the cafe. “Do you want to go back into the pokeball?” she asked Morrigan, checking her town map quickly to make sure they were headed in the right direction. “It’s fine if you do, but I think that our battling synergy will improve if we spend more time together.” She’d noticed that Morrigan had a one track mind - if she could justify something as improving her ability to battle, then it would go over a lot  more smoothly. As expected, Morrigan brightened at this and trotted alongside her.

* * *

Route 116 was pretty similar to the one leading up to the city: a grassy plain dotted with trees, with the rocky crags of Rusturf tunnel looming in the distance. May had wanted to visit Verdanturf Town before taking on the gym, but the nurse had told her that the tunnel was still blocked off due to construction disrupting the pokemon living inside. She’d made sure to bring her trainer’s guide book along: though she’d watched a few of Roxanne’s recorded gym battles, she’d been much more focused on Johto trainers before the move, and every bit of strategizing would help her with the upcoming battle.

When she found an empty clearing, May took the book out and sat on a tree stump, Morrigan and Osiris standing in front of her. They’d battled a fair number of trainers as they made their way through the route, but her team was far from battle-worn, as most trainers in Rustboro were beginners like her. While the gym challenge technically didn’t have a set order - leaders had multiple teams that they picked based on a challenger’s gym badges - the convenience of the Trainer’s School right next to the gym made Rustboro the recommended first stop, especially since Roxanne was known for giving trainers lessons on how to improve if they didn’t beat her the first time. If May had to pick, Roxanne was also the gym leader she was most interested in battling - her focus on strategy and intelligent battle plans appealed to all the days May had spent writing up notes on the foolproof battle plan. May clapped her hands together, focusing her gaze on her pokemon.

“Okay - like I said, we need to work on speed and endurance, most of all.” She glanced at the clearing, noticing the series of boulders that dotted the grass. “Morrigan, I want you to run a lap through the clearing, but circle each boulder once on your way through. It’ll give us a good starting point to figure out how fast and agile you are right now.” Morrigan yapped once, and took off, dark fur blurring as she sped away. May turned to look at Osiris, twirling a strand of hair thoughtfully.

“As for you, we need to work on your accuracy - you learned bullet seed earlier, but I noticed that you were having trouble with your aim when we were battling.” Morrigan ran back up to her, having finished her lap, and May grinned. “So here’s what I’m thinking. Morrigan, you keep running, and Osiris will try to hit you with bullet seed. That way you can work on keeping aware of your environment and dodging, and he can practice aiming at a moving target. Sound good to you guys?” Both pokemon nodded in assent, and Morrigan lept into movement, kicking up a cloud of dust as she did so.

When they finally made their way back to Rustboro City, the sun was low in the sky, tinting the wispy clouds rusty orange and casting long shadows on the paved city streets. Morrigan and Osiris were scuffed up and tired, as the poochyena had gotten frustrated with one too many bullet seed impacts and turned the training session into an all out brawl, but May’s spirits were still high - the amount of improvement a focused training session had was big. Another few days, she thought, and they’d be ready to crush the gym. 

May threw herself face first into the first open bed she saw with a happy sigh, hugging the plush pillow and attempting to become one with the mattress. She felt two twin impacts hit the bed soon after - apparently Morrigan was tired enough to repeal her ban on being more than 2 feet close to May, and she heard a quiet laugh from the bed next to her.

“Long day of training?” the boy sitting on it said, amused. May groaned. 

“You have no idea,” she said. “I think these guys are more interested in fighting each other than the gym leader.” She sat up, glancing to her left. He was surprisingly small, with slender limbs and pale skin, and an unruly head of green hair. “I’m May,” she said, proffering a hand. He shook it.

“I’m Wally. You must be a new trainer, then, if you’re trying to take on Roxanne.” May grinned.

“Yeah! I got my first pokemon a few days ago. What about you?” Wally smiled wistfully.

“Me too. My family is moving to Verdanturf, but the new Petalburg Gym leader was kind enough to help me catch my first pokemon.” May flinched.  _ God forbid he lets his own daughter have even one pokemon, but of course he’ll go out of his way to kelp random kids. _ Wally blinked in surprise.

“Yeah, I’ve heard that he’s pretty scary in battle. His slaking isn’t anything to be scoffed at,” he said, misunderstanding her reaction. May shrugged, wanting to put thoughts of her dad behind her.

“So are you here to battle Roxanne too?” she asked. Wally shook his head.

“I wish I could. I’m sick, and my family doesn’t think I could handle being a trainer. They only let me have my pokemon because they felt bad about making me leave all my friends in Petalburg behind. They’re actually staying in a hotel nearby - they only let me spend the night here because I wouldn’t stop asking. They mean well, though - we stopped over in Rustboro so I could visit the Trainer’s School a bit before we reach Verdanturf.” May felt a wave of sympathy wash over her.

“I know exactly how you feel - my family was super against me becoming a trainer. I thought my mom would have a fit when I asked her the first time.” 

“They must have come around eventually,” Wally said, curious. “Though I guess they probably trust you more on your own - you must be old enough to have graduated school and all by now. I’m only thirteen, so they’re not comfortable with me running around on my own.”

“Well, I’m homeschooled, so I guess education never ends,” May said, laughing. “But I figured it out - I bet you will too, eventually.”  _ If that isn’t the understatement of the century. _ “We could even battle, once you’re a real trainer and all.” Wally brightened up at that.

“Promise?” he said, eyes wide. “I can tell Ralts is going to be really strong someday.”

May winked at him. “Promise. But right now, I need to go to sleep - I think if I keep my eyes open any longer, I’m going to fall asleep sitting up.”

Wally was gone by the time May woke up, having slept through most of the morning, but he left a scrap of paper with a messily scrawled pokenav number on it and a note that said  _ If you’re ever in Verdanturf, come visit! _ May saved it in her ancient pokegear, shoving the note in her bag, and stretched, cracking her back and stretching out a leg to prod Osiris and Morrigan into consciousness. “Up you get, lazy bums. We’ve got more training to do.”

* * *

A week into her stay in Rustboro, May found herself standing inside the gym, hands shaking in anticipation. She’d gotten her trainer card set up earlier, giving them a fake name when they asked, and was waiting for her turn to battle - the challenger before her seemed to be taking an unbearably long amount of time. 

“Sapphire?” the receptionist called, glancing around the room. May started, looking up.  _ That’s you, idiot. _

“Here!” she said, her hand shooting up with way more force than was necessary. The receptionist giggled.

“Roxanne’s ready to battle you now - you can go in whenever you’re ready.”


End file.
